The Loss Of Innocence
by Tysonkaiexperiment
Summary: Complete!Based off Syfy's Alice. He knew that he didn't have a chance anymore, with the sun brightening up her face and lighting up his smashed in top hat, Jack knew that he lost Alice. No matter how badly he loved her he knew she found her soulmate. HXA


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**Disclaimer**: I own absolutely nothing! Go that? I wish I owned things, to make more HatterAlice stuff, but alas I own craopla. Just the story lines, woo~!

**Title**: The Loss Of Innocence

**Authoress**: Tysonkaiexperiment

**Warnings**: A few spoilers for part 2, a cuss word or two, and jealousy. WOO jealousy!! LOL.

**Coupling**: HatterAlice with mentions of JackAlice

**Summary**: Complete! Based off Syfy's Alice. He knew that he didn't have a chance anymore, with the sun brightening up her face and lighting up his smashed in top hat, Jack knew that he lost Alice. No matter how badly he loved her he knew she found her soul mate. HatterAlice.

**Dedication**: To everyone who reviewed both my first and second one-shots for this series, I will never get tired of HatterAlice, WOOO!!!

**Notes**: To me, when I review the entire series, I think Alice is the last shred of innocence that Jack has left. In a sense he clung to her because it was the final step before he would loose every emotion he had to become king. I kind of consider JackAlice more puppy love then actual love.

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**The Loss Of Innocence**

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He saw it before the anyone saw him standing there, even if the old man had spotted him just those moments ago before he tied him up. Surprisingly the man didn't even try to call for help, he hadn't need to worry about a gag.

She was beautiful, as usual, with deep brown hair being highlighted a golden brown by the sun and nervous blue eyes gazing at the man across from her, she looked exactly how he always saw her. The man looked more needy than she did, already leaning down while she gave him a hesitant glance, but even then he could see it.

Alice looked so content in his arms, unlike when she was with him and she looked somewhat pressed. No, she allowed herself to be woo'd by the man without even trying, not when she met Jack when he had to enter her class and all-but-demand a date with her.

"That's right, it is." He finally called out, keeping his face calm and emotions on check as he strode up, "Hello Alice, I'm not interrupting you, am I?"

She hadn't said anything then, the old man he'd tied up babbling off on some story as the brunet hero-boy grabbed a stick to fight him. Merely a few taunts later and the brunet man was now allowing her to go with him.

Vaguely he wondered if maybe he should've looked for her sooner, even the horse ride to meet the Caterpillar was quiet at best. He glanced over to her, she wasn't looking at him but at the trees, like she was expecting him to bring up the almost-kiss she had with that man. "That's a nice jacket." He tried, you couldn't blame Jack Heart for not trying to again woo the woman he loved.

Her eyes spread over it's deep purple-brown color before she looked sharply up at him, "It's Hatter's."

"Oh." He looked back down to the horse he was riding, as if it would provide him with something to say. It didn't and they began to head in silence again.

"Were you really jealous?" She asked, looking at him sternly, "Or was that just more of your acting?"

"I really was." He told her honestly, "I never expected you to find someone, let alone him."

There was a moment before her lips pursed, as if she wanted to say something about what he meant by that but instead she chose to mutter, "And I never expected you to have a fiancée, I guess we're both even now, aren't we?"

He wanted to say something in his defense, that he never felt like kissing her, never held her so tenderly in his arms, and yet he couldn't bring himself to say any of it. "Do you like him?"

She froze, the horse continued but she made no movement for that short while, "I don't know." She admitted truthfully, "There's too much going on to worry about romance." It was at that moment she shot him a look, "Although that does not excuse you, Jack Heart."

"I didn't think it would." He muttered back to her before he tried to focus on the path ahead of them. But instead all he could see was the scene he wanted to avoid the rest of his life, the shimmering browns and yellows, the perfect romantic setting for them. Never for her and Jack, oh no, they had kisses on the karate mat and an awkward rejection of his ring. Those two, however, they had their little spats but she had unconciously been trusting him more than she would ever trust Jack, and the look she gave the man was one she never looked to Jack with.

"Are you alright?" Alice sent him a sharp look but she did little more than that, "Should we stop?"

"No, I'm fine." Jack told her, adjusting himself to be more comfortable on the horse, "Just a little tired, lack of sleep with my mother watching over me."

She sent him a look, one to show she didn't believe him, but made no other motions towards him.

He bit his lip, clutching the reigns a little tighter for a moment before he let out a sigh, "You know, there's a stream on the way, let's stop there and get some water." His neck was hot, from both riding underneath the sun and from the uncomfortable feeling creeping over his back whenever the scene replayed itself in his head.

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"I tried to give you this before, but you didn't know what it meant." He snapped open the little puzzle box and showed the glistening ring to Alice, "This time I ask you to wear it, as my queen. Will you be my queen, Alice?"

She looked at him so sharply then, in a mixture of confusion, amusement, and downright surprise. But suddenly she smiled, softly and somewhat sadly, "No, Jack." He looked down and sighed, knowing that she was going to say that, but it still cut him deep inside. "I've changed; I'm not the same girl you knew, I want something else." She nodded her head and smiled that Alice-smile, when he knew his face showed his defeat, "Goodbye Jack." She held out her arms and gave him a hug, probably the last thing he would ever feel from her that wasn't more than a handshake or a mere brush of an arm or hand.

He led her to the machine, asking her to put the stone in before she did as he asked. She started it and she seemed happy and content and he smiled, knowing at least he made her happy that much. But then she turned and saw the hat-covered man and she looked so peaceful and joyful as she saw him. There was obviously much more between them then he could ever hope to have with her, even when Hatter swung by to say goodbye to her he looked positively glowing to have been seen by her.

She hadn't even looked to him once, just turned from Hatter to the scientist before she was shoved out the portal and to never be seen by him again. He busied himself with the ring on the pedestal, it was bright and sparkling, just like her eyes when they laid on _him_.

But suddenly Hatter had slid through the crowd and stopped just short of him, letting his presence be known even if Jack didn't look up. He knew, he could tell by the pose and air Hatter had that he wanted to go after her. Jack stood and listened to him for the moment before he stood tall. He loved Alice still, he probably would considering she was the first person he'd fallen in love with considering he was a prince and was only allowed to look at Duchess in that way. He would not give Hatter the benefit of a doubt, no, this man who was with sly smirk and skilled words would have to tell him how he felt about Alice if he wanted any chance of going through.

Jack had lost the last of his innocence the moment he could tell she fell for the man in front of him. This man held his most precious person, his most precious jewel, his most precious emotions. Love and innocence.

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UGH, I wish this was longer, but alas, I was kind of anti-Jack so it took some effort. I thought writing from Jack's kind of pov would be easier but instead I ran out of ideas. He's so basic of characters, mostly feeling either extreme jealousy or he's being extremely confusing. So meh, I just continue on like I do~~.

Now, onto the fourth one-shot idea I had for this! WOO!!!


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